Manifold heater for internal-combustion engines



LAQ'KQW. Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

2 -SHEETSSHEET l.

Qnvcnfom A, G. BRIDGFOBD AND S. B. BOLTON.

MANIFOLD HEATER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILEDDEC.27. I92]. I

1,427,059. PatehtedAug. 22, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A; a firidgfowd and efi z'dneg EIQZZWQ I warren e awatt? easier...

enema e; aarneroan Ann SIDNEY a. Borrow, on name, rumors; earn seasonASSIG-NOR TO SAID BRIDGFDRD.

MANIFOLD HEATER FOR, INTERNAIi-CQMBUSTIOllT ENGINES.

ll A27 $059.,

To allwhomit may concem: 4 Be it known that we, ARoHIE G. BRIDG- FORDand SIDNEY B. Bor/roN, citizens of the United States, residinrespectively, at.

Aledo, in the county ofl ercer and State of Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Manifold Heaters forInternal-Combustion Engines; and we do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the artto which it appertains to make and usethe same. I

The present invention relates to internal combustion engines, and moreparticularly to a device for initially heating the intake manifold andfacilitating the starting of the engine.

An object of the present invention is to utilize the fuel of the engineto heat the in take manifold of an internal combustion engine in orderthat the gas in the manifold may be properly and completely vaporizedbefore entering the firing chambers of the engine.

Another object is the provision of a burner and admitting apredetermined charge of fuel into the burner, and the vaporizing of aportion of this fuel by coming in contact with electrically generatedheat. The balance of the charge of fuel is lighted by the ignition ofthe vaporized fuel engines is. particularly adapted to the starting ofengines in cold weather.

A further object of the present invention is to provide, an improvedheater which may be controlled and ignited from theinstru' ment board orother place of control of the internal combustion engine; which consumesthe usual fuel of the engine; and which may be started and lightedfrom'the source of current supply for the ignition of the engine.

Astill further object of the invention is to provide a manifold heaterof this type which is of relatively simple and compact construction,which comprises but few parts,

Specification of Letters Eatent. Patent fl Au 22 192% Application filedDecember 27, 1921. serial No. 525,108. 7

and which is so constructed that the various parts may be easilyseparated to admit access to the interior of the heater.

1W1th the fore oing and other objects in View, the invention will bemore fully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointedout in the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views.

Fig. 1, is an end elevation of the heater as applied to a manifold.

Fig. 2, through the same.

Fig. 3, is a longitudinal vertical section taken through the heater andmanifold;-

F 1g. 4, s a diagrammatic view, illustrating the wiring for distributingthe source of electrical current.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a manlfold of any suitable typeprovided with the depending branch or intake portion 11, adapted to beconnected to the outlet to a carbureter. At the juncture of the parts 10and 11 of the manifold, is mounted a heater casing '12. The casing 12may be mountedin any suitable manner upon the manifold, and may even beintegraltherewith as shown. The casing 12 is provided with a cylindricalor drum portion 13 which is substantially concentric to the main portion10 of the manifold, and which provides a di-' The lower end of thecasing 12 has an air inlet 17 in the contracted bottom thereof foradmitting cold air in a restricted stream to the interior of the casing12 where the air is permitted to expand when heated. Above the air'inlet 17 is a cone or deflector 18 in the form of a receptacle havingopenings 19 in the bottom thereof, through which is a transverse sectiontakenthe air may rise. The walls of the re-- cepta'cle l8 converging attheir upper ends to provide an elongated relatively narrow slot throughwhich the flame is adapted to pass. The receptacle 18 is carried uponthe projects through the end wall of the casing and longitudinallytherein, and fits into an opening formed through the (Hlate 20 forholding the burner tuberigi y in place. The burner tube is held to thelate 20 by a screw lug 23 which is threa ed into the open end of theburner tube, and which has a flanged head over-lapping the plate 20 tobind thereagainst, and to bind against the end of the tube. providedwith an external flange 24, which is arranged to fit in a boss or socket.25 which is formed u on the exterior wall of the casing 12. T e boss 25is exteriorly threaded to receive a binding nut 26 thereover, and thenut is adapted to-work against the flange 24 for binding the burner tubein the casing. Fuel is conducted to the burner tube through a supplypipe 27, and" the. latter is provided with a measuring section 28located between a pair of valves 29 and 30, the stems 31 of which areconnected together by an operatin rod' 32. The valves 29 and 30 are sopositioned that when one valve is open, the othervalve is closed, andthe stems 31 are so connected to the rod 32 as to alternately shiftthese valves into open and closed positions. The burner tube 22 isarched downwardly, as at 33 to form a basin into which the fuel isadapted to drain from the opposite ends of the tube; thus insuring thecomplete consumption of each charge of fuel admitted to the tube.

For the purpose of initially heating and vaporizing the fuel in theburner tube 22, an electric resistance or heating coil 34 is mountedupon the inner end of the plug 23, and projects into the outer end ofthe tube 22. One end of'the heating coil 34 is grounded in the casing 12through the set screw 35 which is carried by the plug 23 and beneath'thehead of which one end of the. coil 34 is clamped. The other end of.

the coil 34 terminates in the wire 36, which leads to a contact 37mounted on a suitable support, such as upon the end of the cas-.

ing 12. The plate 20 carries a spark plug '38 which has an electrode 39,which extends 1nt o proximity to the burner tube 22, at a pointimmediately above the latter, and the burner tube has a slot or opening40 extending immediately over the basin 33, and which terminates at oneend in a projection 41, forming a second electrode, and which approachesthe electrode 39. The electrode 39 is connected through the barrel ofthe plug 38 in the usual manner to a wire, 42

which extends to the grounded secondary winding of a transformer 57. iIf desired, a thermostatic switch 44 may The burner tube 20 is grounded.

be secured through the wall of the casing 12, and grounded at one ,sidetherein. The switch 44 has a wire 45 leading therefrom and through thetelltale lam 46, and thence to a fixed contact 47 whic is located inproximity to the contacts 37 and 43. These contacts are preferablyarranged. in a hori= zontal row, and are of resilient-or springstructureso as to slidably engage the conductors 48, 49, and 50 of an insulatingblock 51, which is mounted on the rod 32. Shift- 'ing of the rod bringsthe conductors and the contacts into engagement with each other to closethe circuits and also separates the conductors from the contacts tobreak the circuits. As shown in Fig. 4, 52 illustrates the usual batteryof a motor vehicle, which is grounded, as at 53 and which at its. otherside is connected by wires 54 and 55 to the conductors 48 and 49respectively. The battery 52. has a third wire 56 which leads to theconductor 50, and the contact 43 of the latteris connected to theprimary of the transformer 57,'which primary is I In o eration, the rod32 is operated from an sultable convenient point to open the va ve 29,and close the valve 30. Durin such operation the pipe section 28 isfilled with fuel. The rod 32 is now moved in an opposite direction orinwardly to open the valve 30, and close the valve 29, whereupon acharge of fuel is admitted to the burner 22. As the rod 32 is movedinwardly or toward thecasing 12, the contacts 37, 43, and 47 are closedin their respective circuits with the battery 52, and the heatin coil 34is energized and caused to heat an evaporate the liquid fuel .in theburner tube 22. 4 At the same time, the transformer 57 produces the hightension current at the electrodes 39 and 41 and causes a spark to bridgethe gap at the slot 40 of the burner tube. This causes the ignition ofthe vapors generated by the heat coil 34.

When the telltale light 46 is used, the heat generatedwithin the casing12 operates the switch 44 when the heat rises to a predeterminedtemperature, and closes the circuit through the wire 45 and lamp 46 to11 actuate the latter, and impart a visual indication of the time whenthe desired temperature. is reached. -As soon as the light 46 isactuated, the rod 32 may then be ,shifted into an opposite position soas to break all of the circuits and to recharge the tube section-28 forsubsequent use. I

What is claimed is: I 1. In a manifold heater, a casing for en closingthe manifold and having openings in its topand' bottom, and at oneend,-a cover plate for said end, a burner tube mounted on said coverplate adapted to project into the casing for heating fuel therein, andignit ing, means carried by the cever plate ar= 130.

1,427,,oae

ranged to project over the burner tube for igniting vapor produced byheating fuel.

2. In a manifold heater, a casing adapted to enclose a manifold, aburner tubeprojecting from one end into the lower portion of the casing,means for feeding liquid fuel to the burner tube, a removable plateclosing the other end of the casing, heating means .rried by the plateand projectin into the ourner tube .for vaporizing fueI therein,ignition means carried by the plate and arranged-. oveif the burner tubefor igniting vaporized fuel, and a deflector casing carried by the plateand fitting over the tube to concentrate the flame when the vapor isignited.

3. In a manifold heater, a casing adapted to enclose the manifold, aburner tube projecting into one end of the casing, a cover plate closingthe other end of the casing, a plug carried by the cover-plate fordetachable engagement in the inner end of the burner tube to close thesame and hold the burner tube in place, a heating coil carried by saidplug and projecting into the burner tube for vaporizin the fuel therein,and an ignition plug carried by the plate and projecting over the outletof said burner tube to ignite the vaporized fuel.

4. In a manifold heater, a casing adapted to enclose the manifold of aninternal combustion engine, a burner tube mounted in the lower part ofthe casing, a valved con-- nection between the burner tube and thesource of fuel supply of the engine for charging the tube with apredetermined quantity of fuel, heating means in the burner tube forvaporizing the fuel, igniting means arranged above the outlet of theburner tube for igniting the vapor issuing therefrom, a signal devicefor indicating the.

heating of the interior of the casing, and connections between theheater, the igniting means and the indicator, and the ignition circuitof the engine for vaporizing and in the casing above the slot in theburner tube for igniting, gas issuing therefrom, and a single meanscontrolling the delivery of fuel to the tube, and the energizing of saidheating unit and sparking means.

6. In a manifold heater, a casing adapted to be arranged about amanifold, a burner tube arranged in thelower end of the casing, meansfor supporting one end of the tube in an end wall of the casing, saidother end wall of the casing having an openingtherethrough, a coverplate for said opening, a plug carriedby the cover plate adapted forbinding engagement in the burner tube for holding the same to the plate,heating means carried by the plug adapted to project into the tube, andigniting means carried by the plate and projecting into the casing forigniting the vapor rising from the burner tube.

7. In a manifold heater, a casing adapted to surround a manifold, aburner tube extending across the lower portion of the easing, a coneslidably fitting over the tube and rising above the same, a plugprojecting into the burner tube and having, a heating element thereonfor vaporizing fuel in the tube, igniting means in the casing projectinginto the cone above the burner tube, and a removable plate carried bythe casing for supporting said plu and said ignitin means.

RCI-IIE G. BR GFORD. SIDNEY B. BOLTON.

